Joe Kennedy’s Affair, Rebel Brando Recalled in Hollywood Saga

By Rick Warner -
Nov 1, 2010

Robert Osborne arrived in Hollywood
in the early 1960s as a contract actor with Desilu, the
production company founded by Lucille Ball and her husband Desi
Arnaz. It wasn’t long before Lucy persuaded him to
switch careers.

“She saw that I was interested in the history of movies
and she told me I should become a writer,” Osborne said in an
interview. “She said, ‘We have enough actors, but not enough
writers.’”

Osborne went on to work for the Hollywood Reporter,
write several books on the Oscars, start his own film festival
and host cable TV’s Turner Classic Movies. His latest project is
TCM’s “Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood,” a seven-
part documentary that premieres tonight at 8 p.m. New York time.

The series, written and produced by Jon Wilkman and
narrated by Christopher Plummer, traces the story of movies from
their invention in the 1890s through the 1960s, when independent
actors and filmmakers shook up the studio system that had
dominated the industry for decades.

“Moguls & Movie Stars” includes rare archival footage,
clips from famous films and interviews with Osborne, directors
Sidney Lumet and Peter Bogdanovich, and producers Richard Zanuck
and Samuel Goldwyn Jr., both sons of early Hollywood moguls.

Osborne, 78, spoke with me on the phone from his New York
City apartment.

Early Moguls

Warner: Almost all the original moguls were Jewish
immigrants from Eastern Europe. Why were they drawn to the movie
business?

Osborne: Movies were new, so there weren’t any rules and
anybody could get involved. These were men who wanted to build
something they could leave to their children and grandchildren.
It was much different than today, when a lot of people are just
looking to make a quick buck.

Warner: Those moguls learned early on that stars were what
drew people to the theater.

Osborne: It was a gift but also a nightmare. Because when
silent-film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford became
so successful, they wanted more control over their movies.

Kennedy Patriarch

Warner: Joseph Kennedy, the father of the Kennedy political
dynasty, played an important role in the development of
Hollywood. What kind of impact did he have?

Osborne: He started out by buying a small film distributor
called FBO, which eventually became the major studio RKO. He had
great instincts as an entrepreneur and showman and he made a lot
of money in the movie business. He also had an affair with
Gloria Swanson, which helped him make important connections in
Hollywood.

Warner: I was surprised to learn there were a lot of women
writers and directors in the early days of Hollywood. That seems
to be one area where women have actually gone backward.

Osborne: Movies weren’t taken that seriously for a long
time, so they were given opportunities. And they didn’t just
work on weepy, women’s movies. Frances Marion, for instance,
wrote “The Big House” and “The Champ,” a prison movie and a
film about a prizefighter. But when the studios started to see
how much money could be made, that’s when the guys came in and
pushed the women out.

Dean, Brando

Warner: How did television change the movie business?

Osborne: The movie moguls hated TV and didn’t want anything
to do with it. It was really dumb on their part because if they
had gotten involved from the start, they could have controlled
it. TV desperately needed product and the movie studios could
have provided it, but they thought it was a fad that would fade
away.

Warner: Why did the studios decline?

Osborne: For years, they told actors how to dress, who to
date and which pictures they would make. But then rebels like
James Dean and Marlon Brando showed up and they didn’t give a
damn about that stuff. It was like the peasants storming the
palace. They weren’t paying attention to the kings anymore.

Warner: Is it true you were in the pilot episode of “The
Beverly Hillbillies”?

Osborne: It is. I had a small part as the assistant to the
bank president. Nobody thought it would become a hit. First of
all, it sounded like a dumb title. Buddy Ebsen was considered a
has-been and Irene Ryan just did bit parts. So everybody was
surprised that it became such a success.